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DeKalb County receives EMS update: unit hours up, wall time improving but still above national goal
Summary
County EMS staff reported improvements in unit deployment and response times, described programs intended to reduce unnecessary transports, and outlined changes included in an RFP for future ambulance contracts. Commissioners asked about hospital turnaround ("wall time"), staffing and maintenance, and directed continued monitoring.
DeKalb County IRPS Committee received a detailed update on EMS operations and the ongoing RFP process for ambulance services during a committee meeting.
The county’s EMS chief summarized an operational assessment performed in 2024 (the Fitch Associates report), noting that the county provided 2019–2023 data to the consultant. Since late 2024 and early 2025 the county increased its in-house ambulance capacity by placing five county-owned ambulances in service and is averaging between six and eight DeKalb County units on the road some days. The chief said AMR (the contracted ambulance vendor) averaged about 564 unit hours per day in April; the contract required a minimum of 548 unit hours after an increase that took effect April 1 and is projected to rise again (presentation referenced a future 568-hour target).
Committee members heard that hospital “wall time” — the time an ambulance and crew wait at a hospital to transfer a patient — remains above the national turnaround goal. The chief said the county’s average wall time has come down to just under 50 minutes but the national target is about…
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